Sorry Detroit, your neighbors just don't like you.

**iheartthed** · July-18-12, 07:57 AM

Detroit is again becoming a punching bag for its regional neighbors. Last month it was the Chicago alderman anonymously taking a jab at the Motor City. This month it's the mayor of Toronto using Detroit's image as a foil to describe his own city:

The statement was a stark departure from Mr. Ford’s public comments earlier in the day, when he calmly told reporters that the mass shooting was “isolated.”“Toronto's the safest city in North America,” Mr. Ford said from Danzig Street, the scene of a gunfight that killed two and injured 23, including a toddler, Monday night.

“I assure you, Toronto is not like Detroit. People should come here and enjoy this great city.”

While Mr. Ford tried to reassure Torontonians and tourists, politicians of every stripe and from every level of government rushed to suggest solutions to a gun problem that has lately seemed anything but isolated.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle4424265/

**artds** · July-18-12, 08:09 AM

Our region would be much better off without non-Detroiters liked IHD trying to drum up anti-Detroit sentiment all the time to get people all riled up.

The fact is, Detroit does have a major gun violence problem, so the comparison is appropriate. That said, I'm 32 years old, and the sense of regionalism in metro Detroit and the view of Detroit in the midwest in general is at a higher point than at any time during my lifetime. Things are finally moving in the right direction, and my generation's views on regionalism is the main reason for that. People like IHD are still trying to fight battles that aren't even relevant anymore. Guess what? You guys are not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Either get with the program, or go sit down in the corner, be quiet, and don't touch anything.

**313WX** · July-18-12, 08:20 AM

Toronto and Chicago are right.

The numbers speak for themselves.

**iheartthed** · July-18-12, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Toronto and Chicago are right.

The numbers speak for themselves.

I will give Toronto credit. It really is about as far on the opposite side of the spectrum of violence as it can get from Detroit. Chicago... not so much.

**Bham1982** · July-18-12, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Toronto and Chicago are right.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Chicago is the murder capital of America, and has all kinds of crazy violence. It's probably one of the most dangerous major cities on earth.

Toronto is amazingly safe.

I assume the differences are largely due to gun control. In the U.S., guns are everywhere, so idiots can procure them easily.

**401don** · July-18-12, 09:46 AM

Always interesting how the papers don't report the full story. Mayor Ford did not bring up Detroit. He was responding to a reporter who stated that Eugene Jones, the Housing Boss who recently transferred to Toronto from Detroit, told the reporter the situation reminded him of his time in Detroit.

**401don** · July-18-12, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Chicago is the murder capital of America, and has all kinds of crazy violence. It's probably one of the most dangerous major cities on earth.

Toronto is amazingly safe.

I assume the differences are largely due to gun control. In the U.S., guns are everywhere, so idiots can procure them easily.

I agree gun control plays a role. It's also true that gun control is the same in every neighborhood. Toronto has far less pockets of poverty like Detroit. But amazingly enough the guns and shootings always take place in those areas they do have. Everyone knows most shootings in Toronto involve black-on-black crime around the housing complexes near Jane/Finch, Scarborough, etc.

**MrJones** · July-18-12, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by artds

Guess what? You guys are not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. Either get with the program, or go sit down in the corner, be quiet, and don't touch anything.

How are those blinders workin' out for ya?
You seem a little like the band on the deck of the Titanic.

**illwill** · July-18-12, 10:04 AM

The last time I was in Toronto for Caribana, I was at thescene of a murder in broad daylight.

I call bullshit on this post. Detroit may have violence butyou cannot try starting a riff by saying our neighbors don't like us. Not true! Two comments don't mean a thing.Gov. Snyder made a few remarks about Chicago and I don't hear them making anissue over it. A couple of comments doesn't mean we aren't liked. Peopleconstantly use New York and Chicago as a punching bag for street violence butthey seem to draw tons of visitors and transplants. I know many people inCanada and Illinois who love the Detroit region.

**Danny** · July-18-12, 10:14 AM

When folks all this planet think about Detroit, they would say this things:

1. It's too black.

2. Filled with violent crime.

3. political and regional corruption

4. It's segregated!

5. Filled with vacant and abandon buildings.

Detroit's image effects the entire world and it will not get any better in a 100 years.

**artds** · July-18-12, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by illwill

The last time I was in Toronto for Caribana, I was at thescene of a murder in broad daylight.

I call bullshit on this post. Detroit may have violence butyou cannot try starting a riff by saying our neighbors don't like us. Not true! Two comments don't mean a thing.Gov. Snyder made a few remarks about Chicago and I don't hear them making anissue over it. A couple of comments doesn't mean we aren't liked. Peopleconstantly use New York and Chicago as a punching bag for street violence butthey seem to draw tons of visitors and transplants. I know many people inCanada and Illinois who love the Detroit region.

Spot on post. People like the original poster are more interested in the dopamine rush they get from feuding with the suburbs or, in this case, another Midwestern city, than they are in actually helping solve Detroit's problems and making it a better place than the one many of us knew growing up, as many of us have been doing for several years.

**antongast** · July-18-12, 10:20 AM

Based on everything I've read about Rob Ford, he's kind of an asshole. If he's insulting us, we're in good company.

**DetroitPlanner** · July-18-12, 10:34 AM

After this incident and the other one where the gunman went nuts at the Eaton Centre a month or so ago, I'm glad I live here.

**Detroitej72** · July-18-12, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by artds

Spot on post. People like the original poster are more interested in the dopamine rush they get from feuding with the suburbs or, in this case, another Midwestern city, than they are in actually helping solve Detroit's problems and making it a better place than the one many of us knew growing up, as many of us have been doing for several years.

Well said.

**rex** · July-18-12, 11:34 AM

least of our problems

**southofbloor** · July-18-12, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by illwill

I know many people in Canada and Illinois who love the Detroit region.

True that ~

**313WX** · July-18-12, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

I will give Toronto credit. It really is about as far on the opposite side of the spectrum of violence as it can get from Detroit. Chicago... not so much.

Chicago's per-capita homicide - 15.6
Detroit's per-capita homicide - 48.6

Chicago population loss since 1950 - 25%
Detroit's popluation loss since 1950 - 66%

Chicago's average police response time - Roughly 5 minutes
Detroit's average police response time - Roughly 30 minutes

Chicago's unemployment rate - Roughly 10%
Detroit's unemployment rate - 22%

**iheartthed** · July-18-12, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Chicago's per-capita homicide - 15.6
Detroit's per-capita homicide - 48.6

Chicago population loss since 1950 - 25%
Detroit's popluation loss since 1950 - 66%

Chicago's average police response time - Roughly 5 minutes
Detroit's average police response time - Roughly 30 minutes

Chicago's unemployment rate - Roughly 10%
Detroit's unemployment rate - 22%

Compare Chicago's numbers to Toronto's.

ETA: I'll start you off.

Toronto homicide: 1.8 per 100,000
Chicago homicide: 15.6 per 100,000

So, Detroit's homicide rate is three times Chicago's... but Chicago's homicide rate is 8 times Toronto's.

**313WX** · July-18-12, 04:03 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Compare Chicago's numbers to Toronto's.

ETA: I'll start you off.

Toronto homicide: 1.8 per 100,000
Chicago homicide: 15.6 per 100,000

So, Detroit's homicide rate is three times Chicago's... but Chicago's homicide rate is 8 times Toronto's.

I'm not denying that Toronto is a better city than Chicago.

But my point is your "Chicago...not so much" reaction in comparing to Detroit is not very accurate.

**iheartthed** · July-18-12, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

I'm not denying that Toronto is a better city than Chicago.

But my point is your "Chicago...not so much" reaction in comparing to Detroit is not very accurate.

What is inaccurate about it? Chicago has the second highest murder rate of any US city with more than 1 million residents. Chicago is at the violent end of the spectrum.

**softailrider** · July-18-12, 04:20 PM

As someone who spends a lot of time with people from Toronto and other cities in Canada, let me tell you most of them harbor a resentment towards people from the United States. It's generally under the surface, but it's noticeable to me and my S.O. feels the same way. That's okay with me though, as long as they keep coming to Florida in the Winter spending their money.

As far as their feelings towards Detroit, I wouldn't even go down that road.

**313WX** · July-18-12, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

What is inaccurate about it? Chicago has the second highest murder rate of any US city with more than 1 million residents. Chicago is at the violent end of the spectrum.

Saying "Chicago has the second highest murder rate of any US city more than 1 million" doesn't say much when, out of nearly 300 cities with 100,000+ people, there are only 9 cities with 1+ million people.

It's the per-capita rates that matter.

**iheartthed** · July-18-12, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

Saying "Chicago has the second highest murder rate of any US city more than 1 million" doesn't say much when, out of nearly 300 cities with 100,000+ people, there are only 9 cities with 1+ million people.

It's the per-capita rates that matter.

Okay, it has the third highest murder rate of any city with more than 700,000 residents: 1. Detroit, 2. Philadelphia, 3. Chicago. There are 20 American cities with populations over 700,000...

**Mark Smiles** · July-18-12, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

Chicago is the murder capital of America, and has all kinds of crazy violence. It's probably one of the most dangerous major cities on earth.

Toronto is amazingly safe.

I assume the differences are largely due to gun control. In the U.S., guns are everywhere, so idiots can procure them easily.

Next you are going to tell us spoons cause obesity.

**illwill** · July-18-12, 04:55 PM

So big cities have crime...big deal! That is nothing new.People are still moving to Chicago in great numbers despite high crime. Othercities offer other reasons for people to want to be there. For instance cityservices, police response, stronger neighborhoods, several vibrant neighborhoodoptions, mass transit etc... these are things we're still working on. We're notthere yet for the most part.

Crime is only part of the problem. Not the only problem.